Roberto Ferro

Luis Navarro

Víctor Sánchez

Ignacio Carrizo

Literary Terms

·         Paradox: It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth.

o   Example: Your enemy’s friend is your enemy.

·         Paraphrase: A technique used to express an idea or somebody’s message in our own words by maintaining the meaning of original material.

o   Example:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

(From Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen)

Paraphrase: Everyone agrees on this point that a prosperous man needs to have a wife.

·         Perspective: A perspective is a literary tool, which serves a lens through which readers observe other characters, events and happenings. A writer may narrate the story from his perspective, or from character’s perspective. Its purpose is to make the voice of a writer distinctive from other writers.

o   Example: First person, second person and third person.

·         Plot: Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

o   Example: Among the examples of plot in modern literature, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (written by J.K. Rowling) is probably the most familiar to both readers and moviegoers. The plot of the story begins when Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Professor lets loose a troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition, Harry finds out that Hagrid let out the secret of the giant dog to a stranger in return for a dragon which means that Snape can now reach the Sorcerer’s Stone.

·         Point of view: Point of view is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.

o   Example: First person (I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace.)

·         Prose: Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry.

o   Example:

“The woods look lovely against the setting darkness and as I gaze into the mysterious depths of the forest, I feel like lingering here longer.  However, I have pending appointments to keep and much distance to cover before I settle in for the night or else I will be late for all of them.”

The above paragraph is conveying a similar message but it is conveyed in ordinary language, without a formal metrical structure to bind it.

·         Protagonist: A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a “hero” by the audience or readers.

o   Example: Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Pi.

·         Rhetorical Question: A rhetorical question is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected. A rhetorical question may have an obvious answer but the questioner asks rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the point. In literature, a rhetorical question is self-evident and used for style as an impressive persuasive device.

o   Example: Are you stupid?

·         Rhyme: A rhyme is a tool utilizing repeating patterns that brings rhythm or musicality in poems which differentiate them from prose which is plain.

o   Example:

“Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are”

·         Rising Action: Rising action in a plot is a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative. In literary works, a rising action includes all decisions, characters’ flaws and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax.

o   Example: In The Hobbit, as Gandalf meets Bilbo and asks him to play the role of a burglar of dwarves’ expedition to recover treasure of Thorin from Smaug. Rising action occurs as he agrees to live up and act as a burglar during this adventure.

·         Run on sentence: A run-on sentence is a combination of two independent clauses, joined together without a conjunction or punctuation mark. Both of these independent clauses form a complete sense or thought; however, when they group together, they need proper punctuation for clarity.

o   Example: “It is now ten we cannot go there before early morning.”

·         Round character: A round character in a novel, play or story is a complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions.

o   Example: The character Gru of the movie Despicable Me is a round character because we see a lot of sides of him and he expresses his emotions through the movie.

·         Semantic: Semantics is one of the important branches of linguistics that deals with interpretation and meaning of the words, sentence structure and symbols, while determining the reading comprehension of the readers how they understand others and their interpretations. In addition, semantics construct a relation between adjoining words and clarifies the sense of a sentence whether the meanings of words are literal or figurative.

o   Example: In the famous soliloquy of Hamlet, “To be or not to be” William Shakespeare has used a word that we use quite differently these days. Hamlet says that, “When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.” Here “mortal coil” carries a connotative meaning that suggests life. However, we are using coils in different connection today, which means a series of spirals tightly joined together.

·         Setting: The setting is an environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place. It may provide particular information about placement and timing, such as New York, America, in the year 1820. Social conditions, historical time, geographical locations, weather, immediate surroundings, and timing are all different aspects of setting.

o   Example: In the Harry Potter story, the setting is Hogwarts, the school in which Harry and his friends learn about magic.

·         Situational irony: Situational irony is a literary device that you can easily identify in literary works. Simply, it occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead. Thus, entirely different happens from what audience may be expecting or the final outcome is opposite to what the audience is expecting.

o   Example: In Harry Potter, the audience is thrown off guard near the end of this series when it becomes clear that Harry must allow evil lord to kill him, so that Voldemort’s soul could become mortal once again.

·         Stream of consciousness: In literature, stream of consciousness is a method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters.

o   Example: “Let’s see, what else do I need to buy? I’ve got chips, chocolate…oh, and I need to get that awful prune juice for Harold. I can’t believe he actually thinks this cleanse thing is gonna work. And to think he wanted me to do it with him. As if I need to lose weight. Hmm, I wonder how late the gym is open tonight.”

·         Slang: Words that are not a part of standard vocabulary or language and are used informally are called slang. These words are mostly used in speech rather than in writing.

o   Example:

They all sat wondering how they were going to attack the enemy with the water balloon. One of the little boys finally suggested, “I can run up on him from behind that tree, jump right on him and Bob’s your uncle, mission achieved.”

The slang term used in this sentence is “Bob’s your uncle”, which means “there you have it”. This phrase is mostly used by British citizens.

·         Style: The style in writing can be defined as the way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing. It varies from author to author and depends upon one’s syntax, word choice, and tone.

o   Example:

An excerpt from Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

“The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden… The sullen murmur of the bees shouldering their way through… or circling with monotonous insistence…”

This is a good example of descriptive writing style since the author gives visualizations, feelings, description of a location and details about bees that could be seen and heard.

·         Syntax: Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought.

o   Example:

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes,

“What light from yonder window breaks?” instead of using a common expression “What light breaks from yonder window?”

·         Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

o   Example: Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

·         Static character: A static character is one that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow. This character does not develop the inner understanding to know his environment, which is affecting him, or he does not understand that his actions have positive or negative impacts on others. The personality of this character remains the same at the end of the story as it appears in the beginning. All his actions stay true and unchanged to his personality in-between the scenes.

o   Example: Sherlock Holmes.

·         Subplot: A literary technique, subplot is a secondary plot, or a strand of the main plot that runs parallel to it and supports it. It is usually found in plays, novels, short stories, television shows and movies. It is also known as a minor story or as “B” or “C” story. Its purpose is to add complexity and depth to the story, and thereby increases tension – a state of high interest and suspense about events in a story. Not only does it show various aspects of the characters, connecting the readers with them, but also it is a story within a story.

o   Example: J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, The Lord of Rings, contains an excellent example of a subplot. The main plot concerns the quest of Frodo to go back to the ring, while the secondary plot moves around Legolas and Aragon’s adventures in their pursuit to protect settlements along with destroying Orc’s armies. Another subplot concerns the escape of Merry and Pippin from Orcs. By the end, these three subplots weave into the main storyline.

·         Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value.

o   Example: For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you.

·         Tragic flaw: Tragic flaw is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece. This trait could be the lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment and often its pride.

o   Example: Oedipus is a perfect example of having a tragic flaw in this famous Greek tragedy. The cause of his downfall was his inadvertent wrongdoings. The pride of Oedipus is the cause which made him disobey the prophecy of the gods. Ironically, he ended up doing what he was scared of the most, such that he became “abhorrence of gods” in his own words.

·         Transition: Transitions are words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences and paragraphs. Transitions help to make a piece of writing flow better. They can turn disconnected pieces of ideas into a unified whole and prevent a reader from getting lost in the reading.

o   Example: To denote time: after, at last, before.

·         Theme: Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

o   Example: Love and friendship are frequently occurring themes in literature. They generate emotional twists and turns in a narrative and can lead to a variety of endings: happy, sad or bittersweet.

·         Tone: In written composition, it is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.

o   Example:

Father: “We are going on a vacation.”

Son: “That’s great!!!”

– The tone of son’s response is very cheerful.

·         Tragic hero: Hero is derived from a Greek word that means a person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage in the face of danger. However, sometimes he faces downfall as well. When a hero confronts downfall, he is recognized as a tragic hero or protagonist.

o   Example: Prince Hamlet from “Hamlet”

He is the prince of Denmark, a man of high social status and noble by birth. He is almost driven to madness by his father’s tortured ghost, who convinces him that Claudius is responsible for his father’s death and that he has committed treachery. He then makes a plan to avenge upon his father’s killer, but he is blinded by his hamartia, neglecting his relations with other loved ones — Ophelia and his mother Gertrude. Hamlet’s hamartia is his constant contemplation and brooding, which causes his delay to ultimately result in his destruction. By the end, he also falls into his bloodbath, touching the hearts of the audience by highlighting the most primal fear, death.

·         Thesis: The thesis is a statement in a non-fiction or a fiction work that a writer intends to support and prove. A thesis statement is carefully chosen by a writer and is marked by vigilant selection of words that will never miss its target. Generally, such a statement shows up in the first paragraph or what is called an introduction.

o   Example:

“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

(One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez)

·         Voice: in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself / herself into words and provides a sense the character is real person conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey. In simple words, it is an author’s individual writing style or point of view.

o   Example:

Character Voice

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is a very good example of a character’s voice, in which a character, Scout narrates the whole story. Though she is an adult, she tells her story from her childhood’s point of view. When she grows older, her language becomes more sophisticated. Scout uses first person narrative to create a realistic sense, as audience notices the child grows up. Her dialogue allows readers to hear the language of younger Scout. Also, it enables the readers to feel the voice of an adult in her actions as well thinking.

·         Vernacular: is a literary genre that uses daily used language in writing and speaking. It is different from written works, as they normally follow the formal variety of language. The word “vernacular” refers to writing or speaking of the public.

o   Example:

“Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;”

(From “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chauce)